Crane



Nov. .3, 1925' P; D. ION |DES cum:

F1104 Jan. 2, 1923 2 Shoots-Sheet 1 Ar,"- I c 1 c shops or on'quays where space is limited and Patented Nov. 3, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP DENIS IONIDES. 6F LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF '10 RAN- SOMES & RAPIER LIMITED, OF IPSWICH, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND,.A GO'MPANY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

Application filed January a subject of the King of England, and ,re

- siding at London, in England, have invented 5 certain new and useful Improvements 1n Cranes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cranes and in particular to relatively small cranes suitable for general use in warehouses and workthe crane has to be manocuvred to avoid obstacles when travelhng.

A locom'otivecrane may travel upon roads or rails the crane itself being adapted to rotate relatively to the truck or platform upon I which it is'mounted. It has already been proposed to mount a crane in a permanent manner upon an electrically propelled truck or vehicle of special design and to manoeuvre the truck as a whole when slewing the crane instead of rotating the crane upon its plat-,

form or truck as in the usual locomotive type of crane.

The object of this invention as distinct from the above types is to provide a crane for lifting purposes only or for lifting and carrying purposes which can be disconnected from its truck when not in use thus leaving the truck tree for employment as such, the crane when detached being so arranged as to be-readily connected again to the truck when it is required for use. p

To this end, according to this invention, a crane unit is provided which can be readily connected to and supported by the truck thus forming a locomotive crane deriving its motive power from the truck. Preferably the crane is mounted upon two wheels and can be coupled to the truck by a single pivotal connection in such a manner that it 1s.provided with a three-point support, the frame or platform of the crane on which the hoisting and lufling mechanism is mounted or upon which goods may be carried conveniently overlapping the truck which thus supports its weight. The pivotal connection is preferably in the form of a ball and socket,

2, 1923. Serial No. 610,355.

removed therefrom without necessitating any alteration in the design of the truck.

The invention is primarily intended for use in connection with the known type of electrically pippelled trucks which can be readily manoenvred in restricted places and.

are provided with means for simultaneously steering both front and rear wheels; When therefore a two-wheeled crane in accordance with this invention is coupled to the truck the latter can be employed either to push or pull the-crane or the truck can be turned at right angles to the crane jib which can then be slewed if the truck is made to travel in a circular path.

Not only is the crane manoeuvred in the manner described by the truck but further where, as is preferred, the hoisting and luffing mechanism of the crane is provided with an electric motor, this motor derives its.

energy from the storage batteries by means of which the truck is propelled. Flexible conductors or other means are-therefore provided by which, after the crane unit has been connected to the truck, the crane motor can be coupled to the truck cells, means for controlling the winding and lufling mechanism being also provided which can be connected to the truck simultaneously with the crane; Alternatively the controller by which the truck propelling motion is operated may be arranged also to control the motion of the crane by suitable connections.

When it is desired to disconnect the crane from the truck, for example when the truck is to be used as such without the crane, the tail of the crane can be readilylifted clear of the truck and maintained in such a raised position by connecting the hoisting hook to a ring bolt'or the like secured to the floor and then winding up thehoist, if necessary after scotching the wheels of the crane. The truck can thenbemoved clear of the crane, or if it is to be reconnected,'back thereunder without difiiculty' or the provision ofany 7 special lifting gear or jacks.

Two construct-ions of crane in accordance with this invention are shown somewhat diagrammatically in the drawings in which- Figure 1 1s a side elevation showing accompanying about truck;

twowheeled crane having a cantilever jib connected to an electrically propelled run- Figure 2 is a sideelevation showing the crane detached from the truck which is free Y the crane and truckfor travelling either vforwards or backwards.

" Figure. is a planshowin'g the turning F circle of the-combinedtruck and crane when the latter is to be slewed;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a modified construction in which the jib comprises a horizontal runaway having a travelllng jen nythereon, and Figure 6 is a rear end view of the crane shown in Figure 5.

In both constructions the crane is provided with a base plate or bed A adapted to be connected in a detachable manner to the chassis or platform B of the trunk. V

[In the arrangement shown in Figures 1-4 the crane comprises a frame C the outer end of which is supported upon a pair of wheels D while at or near its inner end the frame is connected to the bed plate A by means of a pivotal joint A of the universal type. The frame C carries standards C" which support a cantilever jib G V The mechanisms for hoisting the load and derricking the iib in themselves form no part of the present invention butpreferably a single motor E is mounted on the frame C near the pivotA" adapted to drive either the hoisting mechanism F or the derricking mechanism G or both these mechanisms -together, in a preferred arrangement brakes being provided which automatically hold the inoperative mechanism against movement.

Mounted on the base plate A are vertical standards A carrying a table A adapted to overlap thebattery casing B of the truck B. The table A carries a controller E for the motor E and levers F G for actuating thehoisting and derricking mechanisms respectively, Bowden-wires FFG'; or like flexible power transmission mechanisms being rovided between the'levers and the memers they respectively operate. 'The controller E has an actuating wheel E- and this wheel and the levers F and G are all conveniently placed forv the. driver of the truck as they are adjacent to the ordinary truck steering and control mechanism.

Any convenient means may be used to connect the bed plateA of the crane to the frame or chassis of the truck but in the particular instance shown L-shaped bolts H are provided at the sides of the bed plate which can be made to engage the undersurfaces of the truck side, frames and thus firmly clamp itand thebed plate together when nuts H' at the upper ends of these driving motor is similar to that already described and this mechanism is controlled from the table'A", the control lever .F' as before actuating the hoist and the lever G ac: tuating the mechanism for causing the jenny J to travel along the runaway J. With such an arrangement packages lifted by means of the hoist can be transferred on' to the platform .K.

If it is desired to disconnect the trucl v from the crane so that the truck may be used as such the crane hook is attached to a ring belt or some other anchor. as indicated at X in Figure 2 and the hoist-is actuated until the crane and its bed (which has previously been released by disengaging the L-' shaped bolts from the truck B) rises a'short distance abovethe platform of the truck. It is then only necessary to. break the electrical connection between the crane motor and the truck cells a d the truck can be vmoved away leaving t e crane in the position shown in Figure 2 ready for use and reconnection to the trii ck directly occasion arises. It is not even necessary to scotch the wheels of the crane while it remains in the position shown in Figure 2. In Figures 3 and 4 the motor and certain parts of the winding mechanism orits casing are omitted to render the general arrangement 'of the crane and truck less confused. v

' The crane can be either pushed or drawn by the truck and it will be seen from Figure 4 that the crane can be turned in a relatively small circle more especially where the truck is of the type in which all four wheels are adapted to steer. 3

The crane in accordance with this invention though primarily provided with two wheels in the-manner described in certain up and the crane supported wholly by the truck platform when travelling, the leg or pivot being folded down to engage the ground if and when the jib is to be slew'ed. v

Alternatively the axle of the crane wheels \can be pivotally connected to the crane plat form and means provided whereby the axle can either rotate about this pivot or be locked to the crane platform in accordance with requirements. With such an arrangement it would be possiblewhen the crane wa detached from the truck and installed upon some stationary supporting platform to ,make limited use of the crane by drawing current from some source other than the truck. Although the truck described in the particular example above given is of the known four wheel type having a flat rearwardly extending platform,- it is, however, to be understood that a crane unit of suitable shape and dimensions can be connected to any other form of self-propelled vehicle truck, for example, a lorry or a truck having only three wheels and that the particular form of attachment and other details of construction can be considerably varied without departing from this invention.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is;

1. A detachable crane unit adapted for use with a self-propelled vehicle, comprising in combination, a frame, two wheels supporting one end of said frame, a 11b mounted on the frame, hoisting and lufling mechanism carried by the frame, a bed plate for the frame,

a universal pivotal connection-between thev use with a self-propelled vehicle, comprising in combination, a frame, two wheels supporting one end of said frame, a jib mounted on the frame, hoisting and lufiing mechanism carried by the frame, a bed plate for;

the frame, a universal pivotal connection betweenthe bed plate and the end of the frame remote from the wheels, readily detachable means for connecting the bed plate to the vehicle, and a table rigidly connected 1 to the bedplate adapted to support the controls for the hoisting and lufling mechanism 7 on the frame. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

' PHILIP DENIS, IoNI Es... 

